The Empire tightens its grip in the galaxy far, far away in the second season of this hit series, Star Wars Rebels.

After the death of the Grand Inquisitor at the hands of Kannan Jarrus (Freddie Prinz, Jr.), the Ghost Crew joins the Phoenix Squadron Rebel Cell, led by Commander Jun Sato (Keone Young). As Phoenix Squadron struggles to find a suitable base, the Ghost Crew continues to be hunted by two new inquisitors as well as Darth Vader (James Earl Jones). As the Empire becomes relentless in their hunt for the Jedi, the valiant crew will have to go to great lengths to keep the Rebellion alive.

I would like to begin my praise for this series with the recognition of the cast. Taylor Gray, Prinz Jr, Vanessa Marshall, Tiya Sircar, and Steven Blum all return from season one to voice Ghost Crew Members Ezra Bridger, Kannan Jarrus, Hera Syndulla, Sabine Wren, and Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios respectively. David Oyelowo also returns as Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau. However, what I enjoyed most was the return of several characters from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, such as Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein), Captain Rex (Dee Bradley Baker), Hondo Ohnaka (Jim Cummings), and, in a surprise twist in the season finale, Maul (Samuel Witwer).

I next want to point out the animation. While the animation will never be as good as it was in Clone Wars, it does look pretty nice. However, I would like to say that it seems like Disney focuses more on the heads and faces of the characters than on any other part of them. This makes make sense, but it does make some characters look rather stupid.

Lastly, I want to discuss the character development. What we have is a series that follows a distinct plotline: Ghost Crew and Phoenix Squadron are fighting against the Empire. The development of characters in these stories show that every one of them has his and her own reasons for fighting against the Empire.

I rate this second season of Star Wars: Rebels an 8.67/10, or a B rating. I was impressed with the characters, animation, and storylines, and I am very excited for what is going to happen in season three.